Page 5 - Issue 26

Vol.1 Issue 26, December 2020 ELITE

• Undoubtedly, the whole world is facing the crisis of the
coronavirus outbreak whose effects have surpassed the
healthcare sphere. From your work at a major cultural
institution and following current public activities, how has the
pandemic affected these institutions and how have they
reacted?

There are advanced scientific institutions working on determining
the direct and indirect implications of Covid-19, which is an
important universal occasion that has unleashed a sense of global
interconnectedness while also exposing differences. The most
important outcome of the coronavirus outbreak has been the move
towards cyberspace or the digital world, not only in the provision
of cultural, artistic and educational services, but also in terms of
more shopping and social interactions, which had been disrupted
due to social isolation.

Although the pandemic hit the entire world, it has revealed the
forms of inequalities between countries and woken up the sense of
injustice, not solely in terms of access to medical services, but
also in terms of technological infrastructure. The Bibliotheca
Alexandrina is an institution that was born digitally, meaning that
it made itself equally visible online and off-line. This can be seen
in digitization, the use of social media to spread culture and the
arts and the many archival websites in various fields, which have
concepts intersect and reflect a modern society that is based on
all rendered the Library capable of working energetically under
three pillars: broadly-defined development in the political,
lockdown and precautionary measures. And this effort has been
economic, social, cultural and humanitarian spheres;
documented.
participation as empowerment; and citizenship as connection to
Certainly, the pandemic will leave lasting marks on the structure
economic, social and cultural resources. There is a direct
of societies, especially concerning the move towards cyberspace.
relationship between these pillars; as one expands, it pulls the
But there remains the issue that advancing in reality is reflected on
other two with it
the pattern of discussion and issue-raising on the internet. There
are those who benefit from social media better than others, which
• One of your recent books published by the Supreme
is a cultural advantage possessed by societies with advanced
Council of Culture was titled “Participant, Not Viewer: A
cultural, knowledge and humanitarian structures.
Talk in Development, Citizenship and State-Building ”

(translated title). What are the main challenges to effective
• Finally, what is your message for our students?
citizen participation in the public sphere, in your opinion?
That broadening one ’s horizons is an important goal. The narrow
The challenges are many. I think the most important challenge
scientific specialization is no longer the gateway to the modern
lies in understanding the concept of participation. We often
world but the variety of knowledge and its sources is. Especially
tend to reduce it to the traditional, least-effective forms of
considering the intense pivot in the last decade towards
political participation to the extent that there are researchers
interdisciplinary sciences, which inspire the researcher with new
now talking about a democratic disconnect resulting from the
ideas and make him think outside the box, as they say.
fact that traditional structures of political participation, such as
People are no longer captive of narrow knowledge; it is the broad
political parties and elections, are in need of revision even in
horizon that builds character. If we look at graduates of FEPS and
the mightiest democracies.
other faculties, we will find that the distinguished among them is
Therefore, we need to liberate the concept of participation and
the one who chose to be resourceful and to hold diverse
activate its links to development on one side and state-building
knowledge as opposed to a single research topic that he keeps on
on the other. There are important cases we can look to that have
repeating day after day.
combined development and participation, such as Porto Alegre
Life is renewable and its flowing river always carries change. On
in Brazil and other areas in India and Sub-Saharan Africa
the other hand, values remain important and definitive in how one
where it became evident that top-down development doesn ’t
thinks. I cannot easily imagine a FEPS graduate who espouses
bring about the desired sustainability. What is needed, rather, is
authoritarian, extreme, bigoted or ignorant views. But if that
grassroots participation in a broad meaning in order to enjoy
happens – and it has happened in many cases – I don ’t think it
the fruits of development as well as preserve them. From this
represents any knowledge value. Because a researcher ’s
perspective, the talk about participation should be directed
production is inseparable from his character. And if the talk about
towards a call for continuous citizen involvement in
research ethics is being so strongly echoed in natural and applied
development efforts instead of calls for seasonal participation
sciences, then it should be even more so echoed in social sciences,
in elections and occasions of political mobilization. Of course,
which require a researcher that is humble, diligent, tolerant of
we must point here to cases of decentralization, which provides
others and of different opinions, willing to help others and seeks
the legal and institutional framework for an active, sustainable
renovation.
and effective participation.
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